Living With You
by ChibiSevvi4eva
Summary: A new Dark Master will rise and he wants Severus Snape. It is decided by the Order that the safest place for the Potions Master is with Harry Potter. Will be SS/HP Rated M Just In Case
1. Living With You Prologue

Living With YouPrologue

Disclaimer: NOT MINE!! The established Harry Potter characters blah blah blah, not mine however some O/C's that appear later will be mine!

WARNING!! Will be Slash! SS/HP don't like then turn back now

A/N: So here is a brief beginning to what I hope to be a good story XD I hope you like and I will hopefully post the first chapters soon!

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Severus unlocked the door to the flat he had been living in for nearly eight months. He flipped the switch for the lights and groaned as he sank into his favourite squashy armchair.

He began to reminisce about when he had first been sent to the dreary, single bedroom abode by the powers that be, they told him that it was to protect him from the rogue Deatheaters still clinging to the ideals of their late master, that it was completely imperative that he remain here and survive as a Muggle so as to prevent suspicion.

Severus, of course, was a man highly sought after for his dealings in the war, this was a part of his life that he had not anticipated (he still swore to this day that he should have died before the war was over) but alas this was the position he now found himself in.

However the spy in him had not died, he still kept his wand in its holster on his left for-arm. Any unusual sound or movement caught his attention immediately. He would spend every night as he was now. In his arm chair, in front of the fire with a glass of whisky, just waiting, listening and watching for anything unusual – but of course, nothing ever happened, no attack from the opposition, no word from his so-called allies. He had now come to the conclusion that he would be left here, to rot, that he had been sent away and forgotten about, because even though he was on their side, some of his crimes were unforgivable.

An image of Albus' final moments flashed before his eyes, that plea before he dealt the final blow, he had done as Albus wished, not only did the old man wish for death within battle, but he wanted his final moments to be that of dignity and poise. An 'Avada Kedavra' from a 'traitor' better achieved that… than dying in a bed, pathetic and soiled by his own fluids and excrement. At least that way he had made a lasting image in everybody's mind that he was a true hero of the light.

So deep he was in his dark thoughts regarding his own actions, he very barely noticed the green flare come from his living room fireplace, he reacted quickly, flying from his arm chair and aiming his wand at the fireplace from a safe distance, relief washed over him in waves when none other that Minerva McGonagall stepped out of the hearth. Of course he did not trust her presence immediately but whether it was truly her, or an enemy in her guise, this person meant that the mundane life he had been forced into had ended, the 'person' as he was referring to, took a step forward.

"Prove you are who you appear to be or I will kill you on the spot!" Snape spat. McGonagall merely arched an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest.

"Severus Snape put your wand away this instant." She ordered.

"Not until you have proven yourself." He gritted out.

"We do not have time for this Severus, Bellatrix has wind of your whereabouts, she has rallied a group of your old crowd together and they are on their-" a jinx streamed past her head and hit the wall behind her.

"What do you think you are doing Severus?!" Minerva screeched pulling her wand out and taking aim.

"Nice try, I am not so stupid as to fall for such an obvious ploy. Reveal yourself or perish! I assure you that was your only warning shot!" Before anything else could be said, the door to his flat blew open and there, in all his irritating glory, stood Harry Potter.

The next few moments were a blur, Harry shot forward and expertly dodged the hexes aimed his way by the obvious impostor, he grabbed Snape by the wrist and dragged him down to the ground just in time to elude the man who smashed through the window and made a grab for him.

Between the two of them the pair of assailants were stunned and bound and, Severus was leaning against the wall trying to catch his breath. He suddenly got the feeling that he had been out of the game for too long.

"Jellyfish noodles with electro, techno curry salmon sauce." Were the first words to spill from Harry's lips.

To anybody else it would have seemed utter nonsense, but Severus noted instantly that it was the assigned password for today (passwords changed daily and were received on his slip of one way parchment where small messages could be received but not sent)

Then Harry pointed his wand and cast 'Expecto Patronum' showing his Patronus in all its glory, thus confirming his identity.

"Auror Potter reporting," Harry said into a gadget on his wrist, "Mr. Snape is secured and assailants are bound in room, I will begin to move him immediately to his new location and will see you when the mission is fulfilled." He then turned to Severus and smiled.

"Invention by the Weasley twins," He commented noticing Severus' glance at his wrist where he had just been speaking into, "an improvement on the ears, I bet you remember those." He continued.

"Of course I remember the infernal things." Snape retorted finally voicing himself, drawing himself up to his full height.

"Of course you do." Harry echoed smiling still, of course this infuriated the older man but, alas, he had more important things to ask.

"My new location?" He asked.

"Ah… yes well… this may not be in your eyes the best option… but it has been decided best if you come and live with me." Harry finished quickly. Severus' eyes bulged comically.

"You're bloody right I don't see this as the _best_ option… in fact I don't see it as an option at all! I refuse to come and live with you in that mutts house amongst, what I imagine to be a sea of red headed children." He sniped.

"Ah well if they're the only two reasons then you have nothing to fear," Harry offered his determination shining through, "we will be living in my apartment in a largely Muggle populated area where I already have a pseudonym and what not established. There will be nobody else, just me and you." He finished, checking his watch.

"I suppose I have no bloody choice then" Snape drawled, he had noticed the look of loneliness in his former student's eyes as he spoke and even more shocking was that he did not jump to the defence of his late godfather who Severus always referred to as 'the mutt'. He swiftly turned away and went to pack his things. After all, who was he to rock the boat?

****

Ok!! So that seemed like a good place to leave it! Please let me know your thoughts and whatnot I promise things are going to get a little bit more interesting next chapter so please humour me XD ~ ChibbiSevvi4eva


	2. Living With You Chapter 1

Living With You Chapter One: The Move

Disclaimer: NOT MINE! Harry Potter is not mine, the characters established in the Harry Potter series, not mine, the OC's you may see here and there later on in the story are mine and that's about it! 

Warning: WILL BE SLASH! SS/HP don't like then proceed no further!

A/N So then, here's chapter 1!! I hope any readers who stumble upon this story enjoy it! :D well on with the show.

****

Harry Potter was nervous to say the least. Here he stood in the presence of his former Professor and the man had not changed in the slightest. _Though _Harry thought _he looks pretty normal in muggle clothes._

He waited patiently for the man to finish griping and finally pack all his belongings in a single suitcase (a smaller version of Alastor Moody's trunk, with several deep compartments that still seemed physically impossible to Harry)

"Well I have to say I am surprised there weren't more." Severus mused aloud. He turned to Potter who seemed to be daydreaming. "Mr Potter, do pay attention!" He snapped.

Harry visibly jumped and said a quick "Sorry Sir" before realising that he was no longer a Hogwarts student and had the decency to appear embarrassed. Severus just raised an eyebrow, _how did this brat ever become an Auror_?

"Well, what are your thoughts, if you have any," he added sarcastically, "on the fact that there were only two assailants?" He asked slowly, thinking that Potter may not get the question into his miniscule brain if it were said any quicker. The only answer Harry offered was that damned cheeky grin before he motioned to the door and the hallway outside.

"We should be going right?" He suggested heading through the door. To Severus' amazement (though he would never show it) there were roughly 20 bodies strewn over the hallway slumped, stunned and bound awaiting collection by the other Auror's, _which should be any moment now, seeing as Potter has cleared the area._ Severus half noted.

They reached the outside of the shabby building and Harry held his arm out, like a gentleman inviting a lady out for a stroll. Severus' eyes narrowed and moved slowly from the offered arm to the infuriating man's face _always with that infernal grin!_

"We'll have to apparate the first time alongside one another, I have a second wand that is untraceable before you ask, now please take my arm, I don't want to splinch us." He whispered seriously though still managing a smile. Severus shook his head in despair, but took his arm none-the-less. With a faint 'pop' they disappeared into the night.

They ended up in the middle of a field and Severus' patience was wearing thin.

"Potter, what in the blazes are we doing here?" He tried to sound menacing but it came out more like a weary sigh.

"Well, as I said before, we are to be moving to a largely Muggle populated area, how do you think it would look if we appeared in the middle of the street? Even if it is late at night we can't be too careful." Harry pointed in the direction of a collection of streetlights to affirm which direction they would be travelling in.

"Well at least we could have gotten a little closer?" He retorted.

"Whatever we're not going to get very far moaning now are we?" Harry began walking.

****

The walk was entirely silent, Severus had spent it trying to figure out how much Potter had changed over the last few years, it seemed only yesterday that any insults thrown his way resulted in a temper tantrum, but thus far, he'd barely gotten a rise out of the younger man.

"Well here we are, now I need your blood." The younger man stated matter-of-factly signalling to a nice (but rather average) apartment building. Severus had given up on asking questions for fear of that damned smile coming back. He held out his hand to Potter who sliced it with the untraceable wand and siphoned out a few drops.

The drops hovered in the air for a moment before Harry began whispering a complex incantation, the blood, seemingly disappeared. Severus realised, of course, that the man was changing the wards to accept Severus with or without him, and though there was no glow which usually signalled the changing of wards, there was a slight but tangible shift in the air around him and the apartment building suddenly grew another floor, one that had obviously been added by Potter when he moved here, for they were in a village, a large village, but a village none-the-less, and it seemed absurd to even have a block of flats here at all, let alone one with a Penthouse.

"Well now that's done, lets go inside shall we?" For the third time in one night Severus found himself following the man without any question.

****

They arrived to the penthouse floor using an elevator that only Harry and Severus seemed to see.

The penthouse itself, though large of course, seemed homely enough. Severus was expecting the old cliché of Red and Gold and other disgustingly vibrant colours. He was mildly surprised to see that the decoration (of the living area at least) was a soft beige colour adorning the walls along with black and white pictures in black frames with an impressive black-marble fireplace as the main attraction on the far wall placed dead centre. The carpet was cream and impossibly fluffy (he could tell this as Potter had ordered his shoes off before he was even allowed to explore the place) and the seating was in black leather, a glass topped coffee table fit comfortably between the two sofas.

"Well as you guessed this is the living area, it's all pretty much open plan save for the bedrooms, your study and bathrooms." He pointed to an open archway that obviously served as a door, "that's the kitchen through there, I usually make breakfast at 9.30 but if you want anything before or different from what I am having then feel free to help yourself." He led Severus into the kitchen which was impeccably clean (though he could tell it was used a lot as photo's of Harry, Ron and Hermione were stuck to the black fridge door with colourful magnets)

"Here's a list of groceries that I get every week, if you want anything by all means write it down, or you can go yourself, I'll give you a tour of the village tomorrow."

He went back into the living area and signalled to two doors at the wall opposite the fireplace.

"The one on the left is yours," Harry opened the door to an impressively sized room with very familiar furniture inside.

"It was Minerva's idea really." Harry stated, "she shrank down everything that you left behind and put it in here exactly how it was in your bedroom at Hogwarts." Severus felt a small tug on his heartstrings and though he showed a cold front, Harry could tell that the man was touched by the notion.

"Through that door is your bathroom I'm sure you can acquaint yourself with that, it's got all regular supplies, toothpaste, toothbrush…shampoo." Harry couldn't help himself and sniggered slightly. Severus' back straightened a little at the last comment but he decided; however out of character it was for him, to let it slide.

"And through the other door is your study come potions lab. If you need anything I'll be in the living room." With that he closed the door and left Severus' company.

Severus sat down on his old four-poster and looked around. It made his longing for Hogwarts stronger than ever before. Shaking his head he went to his suitcase and took out a single pair of nightclothes before turning off the light and going to bed.

****

Riddle Manor lay in more disarray than ever before. Since the last of the line had died at the hands of Harry Potter the remaining Death Eaters took to using this building as a hide out as they planned their revenge.

True, the attack on Severus Snape had been unsuccessful but that was the way she had planned it to happen. Yes all was going according to plan and Bellatrix would have her master back at the end of it. For her new 'Master' needed him alive.

****

A/N Hope you liked this chapter I am doing my best so please let me know if you have any suggestions XD thanks very much! ~ ChibiSevvi4eva


	3. Living With You Chapter 2

Living with You

Chapter Two: Rumours

Disclaimer: NOT MINE! Harry Potter is not mine, the characters established in the Harry Potter series, not mine, the OC's you may see here and there later on in the story are mine and that's about it!

Warning: WILL BE SLASH! SS/HP don't like then proceed no further!

A/N After my lovely reviews I felt the need to get this done ASAP! Lol thank you so much for your encouragement and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

A few things I thought to bring to light, as you've no doubt guessed Voldemort is dead at this point ha-ha I know it's obvious and I don't mean to insult anybodies intelligence but its best to say, also, the Malfoy's are still alive and kicking (you will be seeing them later on), as are both Weasley twins, Remus and Tonks, other than that everything is as it was in the books.

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Severus awoke the next morning at 6a.m. sharp. He decided now was a good time to explore the rooms that Potter had graced him with.

He walked into the bathroom first (of course nature calls and needs must) he looked around after finishing the 'morning ritual' such as the toilet, brushing ones teeth etcetera, and he had to say he quite liked the room. The floor and wall tiles were black with dapples of grey, the sink and bathtub were black porcelain and there was a freestanding shower in the corner that had a silver frame the rest was glass that had been dyed a smoky grey, the faucets, shower head and what not were also silver and there was a large (and thankfully non-magical) mirror above the sink with an ornate silver frame. He decided that he would quite like taking long baths in this room.

He towelled himself dry, got dressed (into black trousers and a tight-fitted black polo-neck) and moved onto his study/potions lab. Again he was impressed (and had no doubt that Potter had received help on this one) all ranges of cauldrons were stacked neatly in the corner, all his ingredients from the school had been placed in order on a large shelving unit against the back wall, a large work bench was in the centre of the room with some new ingredients placed atop them. Severus moved over to them and read the small note that accompanied them.

_Severus (I hope you don't mind if I address you with your given name)_

_As a sort of welcoming gift, Minerva and I harvested these from the Basilisk in the Chamber at Hogwarts. I sold a large amount of them to the apothecaries but saved the rarest (and most dangerous) for you, I hope you can find a use for them._

_Welcome to my (I suppose I should say 'our') home_

_Harry_

Severus had to re-read the note to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks. He thought the Basilisk would have deteriorated by now. He picked up the bottles and read each label. In all there were four small bottles of Basilisk Venom, six large bottles of un-touched Basilisk Skin, one bottle of powdered Basilisk Fang and (Severus' favourites) two wrapped up Basilisk Eyes in a bottle with preserving potion, though they were badly damaged their magical properties were still there.

A small smile tugged at the edge of his lips and he placed the items on their own shelf and walked back into his bedroom. There his nose was assaulted with the smell of, what he deduced to be, bacon, eggs and sausage.

He walked into the living area to see Potter cooking whilst humming along to the radio and a table just big enough for two set up for breakfast.

"I hope you don't mind this for breakfast? If not you can have something else so long as you make it." Harry called from the kitchen as he plated up the meals.

"So long as it doesn't poison me I think it will suffice." Came the sardonic reply.

"Great, do you prefer coffee, tea or orange juice?" Harry continued humming and placed the plates on the table he had set up along with a rack of toast.

"Coffee and do not worry Potter, I shall get it myself." Severus walked (with Harry in tow) into the kitchen and noted with much annoyance that all the contraptions were Muggle.

"Well I suppose I should show you how to use them?" Harry offered pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

"I am not a simpleton Potter I'm merely sick of instant coffee." He grouched helping himself to the orange juice instead. Potter just shrugged and went back to the breakfast table and began eating.

Severus joined him and glared at his plate, the boy didn't do well in the ways of presentation that was for sure. He cut a small piece of sausage and eyed it for a moment waiting for it to jump of his fork and crawl away, after a moment of waiting he decided that he would be brave enough to taste it. He quickly bit it off the fork and slowly chewed it whilst keeping his eye on the plate.

Harry watched the display and couldn't help but snigger, even though Severus was obviously insulting his cooking, seeing his former potions master fighting an imaginary battle with a sausage was very, very entertaining.

Severus didn't notice Harry's little laugh and after swallowing the piece of sausage deduced that the rest of the meal was safe to eat.

At this point Harry had already finished eating and cleared his plate away and moved onto one of the sofa's.

"I have a couple of small questions Potter, firstly how do we leave this place, I noticed last night that the elevator we used was charmed so only magical people can see it. Now, I don't think appearing out of nowhere in the lobby is your intention?" He paused and awaited an answer, Potter just turned his head to face him tapped his nose and winked.

This irked Severus and he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from verbally tearing the obnoxious man a new one.

"Fine, question number two, you said that you were going to give me a tour of this village today correct? Well is that wise seeing as we're both targets for the Death Eaters? Actually there are three questions, this whole set up, who's bright idea was it to place me with the infuriated boy wonder?" Harry sensed a rant coming on so he chose this moment to cut in with,

"It was my idea I'm afraid. Sorry to disappoint but there are several rumours flying about at the moment and I didn't think losing a veteran such as yourself was a good idea if any of said rumours prove true." He stood and moved back over to the breakfast table, "and yes it's fine to take you through the village here, I doubt that anybody here would recognise you and if a stranger moves into the town, well let's say the ladies around here love to gossip and we'd know about it straight away. Any local news is always transported through word of mouth here."

He smiled to himself at this, ah yes he remembered when he first moved here and was the talk of the town, well village, for a solid six weeks and nobody trusted him until he'd saved that little girl from the river.

"Fair enough, seeing as I have no choice but to trust your _intuition_ on this matter at the moment I shall make my own decision on the safety of this place after the 'tour', now you mentioned rumours?"

_Flashback_

_Two years previous:_

_He had been called out to some random town in the Midlands, there were reports of an illegal potions trade going on there and he had been assigned to gather information and if the reports were true, he was to call for back-up and then they would raid, apparently another Auror had been sent previously but had yet to report back…that was two weeks ago._

_Of course this had become completely normal routine, until he discovered that the illegal potions weren't potions at all, he had just stumbled across a magical-animal black market, the rumours of potions must have come from the blood being siphoned out of the poor creatures, and to make matters worse… none other than Hermione Granger was the missing Auror and she had been captured by said Market when she had rushed in to save the animals by herself. _ Honestly_ Harry though _for the smartest witch of our age she can do some bloody Griffindor-ish things at times.

_Of course, so could he, upon hearing that one of his best friends was captured he couldn't (here meaning wouldn't) wait for back-up and infiltrated the ring of merchants in a very cliché looking warehouse._

"_I'm here on special request," he stated in the best croaky voice he could muster, "I need two pints of Unicorn Fawn Blood. Can you supply me or not?" He slammed a bag of Galleons on the table for effect._

_For a moment he thought he had been caught when the very dirty man in a bloody apron eyed him and his face split into a maniacal grin._

"_Sorry fella but them fawns blood is already spoken fer, so t' speak." He looked at his colleagues briefly and then looked back to Harry (who of course was in disguise) _

"_I'll pay double what the other bloke is." He grouched._

"_Sorry mate, no can do, this other bloke's buyin' up all kinda unusual shit, there aint no way I'm double crossin' a psycho like him… anyways mate, we gotta question for ya, how'd you know where t' find us eh?" Harry sensed the other men closing in around him, but he didn't panic, panicking now would make him a dead man._

"_I heard through certain circles of mine, 'fraid I can't say anymore than that." He made a grab for the bag of gold when the large man's hand pinned his arm down to the table._

"_I see what circles be they mate? Y'see we aint started tradin' t' the public yet…so anybody knows about us has to have a pretty good circle…like them Aurors I reckon…"_

_A large cleaver swung out of nowhere towards his pinned arm, Harry managed to cast 'lumos' into the large mans eyes before it connected and used the opportunity to yank himself free and cast a body bind on the man. _

_This, obviously, outraged the other men and soon enough they had all pulled out their wands (and for those who didn't have one, very sharp objects were the weapons of choice, preferably covered in blood)Harry dodged the hexes streaming toward him effortlessly and ducked behind a few barrels at the end of the warehouse. He did not fancy what they had planned for those cleavers. _

_At that point in time his back-up arrived and they easily put a stop to the unit. Which Harry was incredibly thankful for and had an earful off of Kingsley for being irresponsible._

_End flashback_

"After that we found Hermione and though she was a little scratched up there was no serious damage, seems that the guys we caught were just the rabble that guarded the place, and that the leader of the trading ring and his more, talented, guards had gone away on 'business', later we found that they had been abandoned by their leader as he'd gotten what he needed for this mysterious buyer and left the idiots to take the fall, after that anything that went wrong or anything mysterious happened and this guys name popped up, but other than whispers and rumours we have no idea who he is." Harry finished.

During his little story, Severus had finished breakfast, they had cleared away and they were getting ready to go out to the village.

"I asked about the rumours not your bloody life story." Severus rolled his eyes. Despite the scathing remark, Harry knew Severus was as curious about the whole affair as he was. (The fact that he'd saved the nasty remark until the end proved this.)

"Speaking of rumours, we have to create a name for you and a reason why you're living with me, don't want those charming ladies thinking we're anything more than we are right?" He winked.

"Whatever you say Potter, my name will be Alan Lawliet, Mr. Lawliet to anybody I don't know. What, may I ask, is your 'name', seeing as you find mine so hilarious?" It was true, Harry found the name very amusing, he wiped a tear from his eye and informed Severus that his name was 'Jamie Evans'.

"Sorry, _Alan_, it's just that… well where did you get the name 'Lawliet' from anyway?" It

couldn't be what Harry thought it was surely?

"For your information I started reading a Muggle book in my eight months of torment and I quite liked the character name okay?" He sniffed, no seeing the problem with the image of himself reading a book.

"A Manga?" Harry sniggered, "I see, well that clears that up then." His sniggers turned into a full bellied laugh again at the image his mind was conjuring up. Severus rolled his eyes and commented that Harry could make up whatever nonsense he wanted about them living together, it really didn't bother him anymore and if the man did not stop laughing he would tell everyone that they were lovers. This shut Harry up beautifully and Severus smirked at the idiot.

****

"Bellatrix, do you have anything of value worth reporting? Or did you interrupt me just to annoy?" A shadowed man growled.

"Apologies master, taking Snape back was unsuccessful as you had predicted, he now lives with Potter, and we're still trying to figure out where." She prostrated herself before the figure, "I am sorry that I bothered you sir." The figure 'hmned' and signalled for her to stand.

"No matter," he arched his fingers together and continued, "I have nearly broken the secret your previous 'master' entrusted to his marked. Of course they don't realise the little puzzle left behind by Riddle, but when I piece it together finding Severus and little Potter will be child's play and of course, your precious 'Dark Lord' will be brought back to this plain. Now, go and do not bother me again." He shooed her away with a motion of his hand and she bowed stiffly and apparated away.

"After all those three are essential to my plans." He whispered seemingly to nobody, before he swept out of the tower meeting room and into his own quarters.

Yes the name of Andromalius would soon be known through-out once again.

****

A/N Andromalius – name of the fallen angel who appears as a man holding a serpent (thought it appropriate lol) XD hope you enjoyed. Also I couldn't help but include the name of my favourite Manga man ha-ha hope you don't mind the reference.


	4. Living With You Chapter 3

Living with You

Chapter Three: The Village

Disclaimer: NOT MINE! Harry Potter is not mine, the characters established in the Harry Potter series, not mine, the OC's you may see in this chapter however are of my own creation =p

Warning: WILL BE SLASH! SS/HP don't like then proceed no further!

A/N Thank you so much to those who were kind enough to review and/ or begin to add my story to watch XD I'm honoured to have your praise and constructive criticisms *bows* so without further ado onto the next chapter.

****

Severus and Harry were currently walking towards the centre of the Village, Severus had asked Harry what the name of the place was and Harry merely laughed and said that it was better that he didn't know… just to irritate Severus more.

As they got closer to the market square they passed more and more shops just setting up for the days trade ahead of them (it was a Monday after all). Severus was noticing also, the closer to the centre; the more buildings were of the Victorian age.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the mysterious Mr. Evans?" A voice purred from behind them.

Both men turned to see a young, and rather attractive man, setting up outside of a flower shop. Said man was currently advancing on Harry (who looked more than a little pale) with a predatory smirk.

"It's very unusual to see you out and about at this hour on a Monday." Was his statement as he invaded Harry's personal space and kept his eyes locked unflinchingly on the Aurors. It had become apparent that the man did not even pay a sliver of attention to Snape, who could quite happily stand here and watch the arrogant twit fluster the irritating Potter all day.

Harry was trying to edge away but the blond was relentless, the man was so close that he could feel his breath on his face.

"I would appreciate it, Mr. Vincent, if you would get back to work!" A short, stocky woman ground out from the doorway of the shop (she reminded Severus greatly of Pomona Sprout).

The blond shrugged his shoulders and headed back into the building, "see you later, Jamie." Harry shivered reluctantly at the way his alias had been said. Severus snorted at the horrible display.

"Sorry about that Mr. Evans I try my best to keep the little harlot away." The words were harsh but Severus could tell that there was no malice behind them. The woman's eyes trailed slowly to Severus, and what seemed like a faint blush crossed her face.

"Well, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" She asked snapping Harry out of his daze.

"Allow me, I am Mr. Lawliet, I am Mr. Evans' cousin, I am here living with him at the moment, am very pleased to meet you." Severus introduced himself and brushed his lips over her outstretched hand (after all he was raised a gentleman, and with Harry's description of the women of this village, he did not want to get on the wrong side of them)

If possible the woman's blush deepened and a soft giggle escaped her.

"Well, we must be off, after all I have the whole village to see today." He stated, "Goodbye Madame." He waved at the woman and began to walk away with Harry (who had turned an unpleasant shade of grey) in tow.

"Oooh goodness a new man around the place and I'm the first to know." She grinned.

After a long walk around the village, which had resulted in many of the middle aged women swooning over Snape (which confused Harry to say the least, he couldn't understand how the man seemed so attractive to them), Harry led Severus to the outskirts of the village where a small shop stood on its own with _'Pet Shop and Veterinarians' _printed on the large windows.

They entered and Severus couldn't help but wonder why a Pet Shop with so many exotic animals was even here. Sensing the question the old man who was sitting behind the till smiled and said.

"It is here because it is a village."

He hobbled around the counter and walked over to Harry and Severus,

"Good morning Mr. Evans," he greeted, "your friend here is obviously in the dark about me and this place yes?" A knowing smile spread across his wrinkled face,

"My name is Albert Dredge, you may not know me but I was a rather esteemed animal breeder in my day, but the most important is that I travelled around the world in search of new and exotic creatures, some of the smaller ones you see here today. People travel far and wide to meet me but alas in my old age I become wary of the Sycophants trying to poach my contacts and traders, so I came here and set up this shop, where I can look after my pets until somebody worthy wants to buy one and my services as a vet are greatly appreciated." He finished holding his hand out to Severus who shook it.

"Why tell me all this?" Severus questioned, he was not used to people spilling their life story when he first met them.

"Well my dear boy why shouldn't I?" This response reminded Severus painfully of the late Albus Dumbledore. "Anyway, I know why you are here Mr. Evans, to check on Sylvi correct?" He signalled to the back of the shop.

"Right as usual." Harry smiled; Albert nodded and went back to sitting behind his counter. Harry walked through into the back room. There was a huge Boa Constrictor in a glass tank right in the centre of the room. Harry walked over to it and smiled.

_-__**hello sssspeeaker, how are youuu?-**_ The snake greeted.

_**-I am fiiine thankyouuu Sssssylvi, how aare youuur little onessss?- **_Harry motioned to the babes currently slithering around one another playing.

_**-Theeey are chiiildren,- **_Sylvi sighed (or the closest thing to a sigh a snake could manage) and shook her large head. _**–Yoourr companion haasss a nicccce heaat around hiiim, though he loookssss like a sssshocked baby lamb-**_She commented on Severus who was currently staring at her like she was going to smash out of her tank and eat him whole.

_**-Dooont miiind him he issss taaaking a lot iiiin right nooow-**_Harry commented.

_**-I sssseee, weeell I have to ssssleeep now sssspeaker, I will sssseee you tomorrow- **_She then rounded up her newborns and went to sleep.

"You think it wise for you to use your Parseltongue so frivolously?" Severus snapped at him.

"Of course, Mr. Dredge has lost his hearing, he calls me the 'Snake Whisperer', but there is no way he can tell that I am actually speaking to them. I am not the only person in the world to be called a 'whisperer' so it's not considered a completely unusual title and before you start, he doesn't speak of my job here to anyone, so nobody else in town knows okay?" Harry lectured.

He had to admit, if only to himself, that he was enjoying being able to be the know-it-all while it lasted, eventually Snape would turn into the bat Harry was used to, so he was getting as much out of this situation as possible.)

"By the way, this is Sylvi, she has just given birth to twelve little ones and I thought you two should meet before I bring her home… oh and she said you have a nice 'heat', which is a huge compliment by the way." Harry stated as he watched a familiar smirk tugging at Snape's features.

"I see." the dark man drawled, "well, tell me Potter, how did you look after the Snakes eggs?" For some reason, he felt like quizzing the boy, to see how much he thought he knew.

"Boa Constrictors don't lay eggs, they give birth to the babes, I know you already knew that." Harry responded, for some reason, even though he knew the answer, he felt as though he were in his first ever Potions class again.

"Very good, now then, by the expression nice 'heat' what does she actually mean?"

"Well, a Boa Constrictor has heat sensors in their skulls, as their eyesight isn't very good they rely more on the sensors to find prey and so on." Harry finished, Severus waited a moment to see if the boy would continue, when he didn't the dark man's smirk deepened.

"Hmm, so you didn't know that a snake's ability to sense a person's body heat also allows them to see their aura? Or in our case Magical Signature, you see there was a reason Snake's were Salazar Slytherin's most favoured pet, they can sense a persons honesty right down to their very core. Any stain on the soul they will see through these sensors and Boa Constrictors in particular, due to the large heat sensors in their skulls, are particularly good at this. In short, Potter, she can see what Humans refer to as the 'soul."

Harry looked between Severus and the Sylvi; he honestly did not know any of that.

"Tut, tut Mister Potter, for being able to speak to them directly, you really don't know a great deal about them do you?" A look of triumph gleamed in Severus' eyes as he turned to leave the shop. Harry (though annoyed) let a small laugh escape him. _The old Severus is on his way back, this should be interesting._

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long and that this chapter isn't very long, I am working on another one but thought I'd upload this so you guys knew I hadn't abandoned it! Thanks again to those who review and/ or watch this fic! It means a great deal to me ^_^ Also we will be seeing more of other characters very soon so please bare with me.


	5. Living With You Chapter 4

Living with You

Chapter Four: The Dark Mark

Disclaimer: NOT MINE! Harry Potter is not mine, the characters established in the Harry Potter series, not mine, the OC's you may see around and about, they are however mine XD

Warning: WILL BE SLASH! SS/HP don't like then proceed no further!

A/N Another huge thank you to those who are staying with my fic and reviewing, I like the feedback and it helps me as a writer, here is chapter four, here we will see what is happening with a few other characters and the plot will hopefully become a little more exciting =) I hope you like!!

***

Lucius Malfoy was currently on the train for his morning commute, the blond aristocrat had been cleared of his Death Eater title when outstanding evidence (given by key members of the order including Harry Potter himself) had shown that the man had indeed been a spy alongside Severus in Voldemort's circle and without him, Harry Potter may have died several times over in the last battle.

However, his crimes as a Death Eater still had to be answered for and so the Wizengamot had agreed that he would be stripped of the Malfoy title, thus losing his estate and grand fortune and that he would serve two years in a medium security Azkaban cell with opportunity of early release for good behaviour.

As it was he was released after one year as his behaviour was impeccable and somebody had pulled the strings for him. The same unknown person had given him an account with enough money for him to live comfortably and arranged for him to rent a flat in Muggle London should he require it. Lucius had, of course, accepted this gift gracefully and thanked whoever it was that felt he deserved charity.

Since getting out of Azkaban three months ago, he had managed to find himself a job within a Muggle law firm and was very happy for the chance to get his life on track, he was no longer welcomed by most in the Wizarding World and to be frank, at the moment he wanted nothing to do with them either.

In the case of his family, Draco lived with him in the large apartment and Narcissa had left him as soon as his money was no longer hers to spend. The train arrived at his destination and he exited the metal car. He could finally understand Arthur Weasleys odd fascination with the Muggle contraption.

As he walked to his workplace he mulled over the current events in his life that were bothering him.

There was the matter of the uncaught Death Eaters, it was because of them that he still carried his wand everywhere he went and of course the rumours that were flying about. He had not long since been approached by certain (more mentally challenged) members of the old circle and they, quite stupidly, thought that his 'confession' had been merely a ruse and that somehow he had foreseen the 'Dark Lords' fall and quickly made sure he would be spared, as was the Slytherin way. Needless to say the two idiots had been captured very quickly and all the information they had on this unknown fellow had been easily drawn out via use of Veritaserum.

'_Andromalius, who the hell are you? And what are you after so desperately that concerns the Death Eaters?' _Lucius frowned as a familiar feeling burned it's way across his fore-arm. His eyes widened in panic as he entered the nearest restroom in his building and frantically pulled up his sleeve. His dark mark was beginning to force its way through once again. He did the only thing he could think of, He apparated to Hogsmeade and began making his way towards Hogwarts.

***

The Wizengamot had let off Draco Malfoy leniently; he had been stripped of any chance of claiming the Malfoy title and had been sentenced with community service. This had enraged many and people demanding their own brand of 'justice' often pestered him, as he had in fact received the dark mark. Thus finding employment was no easy task for the young man, his salvation however had come from an ironic source, the Weasley twins.

He had employed to run the shop from behind the scenes; allowing the staff free reign of the store unless a problem occurred and making sure finances were in check. This gave the twins much needed time to work on their new ideas, which were often tested on him.

So when the twins approached him with maniacal smiles it seemed nothing new to him, in fact this time he had set up a prank of his own when his face paled considerably and he clutched his arm.

"You alright mate?" George asked concerned.

"Yeah you don't look so good." Fred added moving closer to the young man.

"The… mark." Draco gritted out. The twins faces dropped and George dragged him to the fireplace.

"I'll take him to Hogwarts." He stated throwing the powder into the fire and shouting 'Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade' before entering quickly with Draco.

Fred quickly pulled out his 'transmitter' and urgently called Harry.

***

Harry had just got back to his apartment when he felt the 'transmitter' warm against his skin.

"Auror Potter here." He responded quickly.

"Harry, it's Gred here, our manager has just gone into the relapse we feared, Forge has taken him to the place." Harry recognised the phrase instantly. Even though the gadget they used was of the Weasleys own creation and had only been distributed to trusted Aurors and Order members, they still used code for sensitive information, just in case they were ever tapped.

"Understood I will check on our mutual friend, Potter out." With that he rushed to Severus' door and knocked (even though he was worried he was not going to invade the mans privacy) "Severus? Are you okay? Can I come in?" There was no answer. "Severus if you don't answer I'm coming in regardless no matter what state you're in." He stated, still not a peep came from the Potions Master.

"That's it." Harry tried the door to find it locked. He tried Alohamora but it did not work. The panic started rising like bile in his throat and he tried the first spell that came to mind. "Bombarda Maxima!" he yelled, the door flew across the room and splintered when it came into contact with Severus' four-poster. Harry entered quickly and scanned the room, Severus was nowhere to be found. He checked the bathroom and still no sign. _'Only the lab left oh please let him be in here!' _He pushed the door, locked again, he used the same spell and sent the door flying across into Severus' workstation.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing Potter?!" Severus all but screeched from behind the table his wand trained on Harry.

"Sorry I heard a distressing piece of news and needed to check on you." Harry sagged with relief.

"As touching as that is you imbecile, you could have killed me." Severus snapped gathering up the remnants of what he had been working on.

"I'm sorry… I guess I should have tried knocking on this door too huh?"

"Yes, or, you could have used your miniscule brain for once and looked at the note I'd left you on the coffee table that said not to disturb me! Stupid Gryffindor." He glared menacingly.

Harry stared at the floor in shame as Severus started cleaning the mess he'd made.

"Well?!" The dark man questioned.

"Huh?… Oh right, Draco, he works for the Weasley twins in their shop, apparently his Dark Mark has started burning… has yours?" He asked. Severus' face went from shocked, to pale, to an incredibly sickly looking green.

"What?" He questioned, his brain could not process the information that had just been slapped in front of him. "You, mean to say that… he, HE is back?! How? When? Do you have any evidence?!" Severus had grabbed Harry by the front of his jacket and was shaking him. His usually emotionless eyes were frantic as he questioned Harry.

"No, no he is not back, if he were, I would know." Harry stated plainly. Severus scoffed and dropped him.

"There is no way you would know until he wanted you to Potter." He spat, the energy that had been displayed seemingly dissipated and he sagged against his workstation.

"I beg to differ, I had a connection with him just like you, except mine allowed me to access his mind as well. I'd feel it if he were back. I take it from your reaction that your mark is not affected?" A short jerk of the head signalled 'no'. Harry tapped his chin, this was very strange indeed and he had no doubt that his mystery man was behind it.

***

As if the sight of Lucius Malfoy dragging himself up to Hogwarts with people jeering at him wasn't enough, when Draco Malfoy came out of Madame Rosmerta's hearth it nearly made the poor woman fall over in shock.

"Sorry Madame, we're in a rush, see ya later." George winked at her as he helped Draco out of the door.

"S-Something is… wrong." Draco stammered, "n-never… been this, this bad." He cried out as a fresh wave of agony washed over him. George's usual kind eyes darkened as the crowd that had been verbally attacking Lucius rounded on Draco. He was about to start firing stunners when a voice boomed.

"Any o' them get hurt an' yeh'll hafta answer ta me!" Hagrid roared coming down the hill from Hogwarts. Even though he was known by many of them, the sight of an angry half giant rushing down a hill made the crowd dissipate fairly quickly.

"Thankyou Hagrid." George smiled as he adjusted Draco's arm around him

"No problem George." He picked Lucius up and started towards Hogwarts. Even though he was in great pain, Draco managed to snigger at his fathers face go from affronted, to horrified to downright ill at the thought of being carried like a bride by Hagrid.

A/N Ah so the plot thickens haha sorry about the shortness of my chapters I will endeavour to make them longer in the future. If you have any suggestions or comments please leave a review I would be very grateful :-)


	6. Living With You Chapter 5 Bonds

Chapter Five: Bonds

Disclaimer: NOT MINE! Harry Potter is not mine, the characters established in the Harry Potter series, not mine, the OC's you will definitely see are mine XD

Warning: WILL BE SLASH! SS/HP don't like then proceed no further! Also a little bit of graphic detail on the gore side for this chapter nothing extravagant but I thought I'd warn you XD

A/N Thanks to all that are still following my fic. Sorry about the shortness of chapters, I am trying to make them longer! Haha. Seriously thanks to those who took the time to read this and those who review afterwards XD you make this writer very happy =)

****

Bellatrix smiled as she felt the Dark Mark begin to tingle, she quickly apparated to where Andromalius was residing.

He had informed her that she would be summoned soon and that her Dark Mark was essential to the revival of her Master.

Six, that was the number of Death Eaters that had been entrusted with Lord Voldemort's secret (without their knowledge of course) and she had been one of them, her adoration for the late Dark Lord had intensified greatly with this news and she considered herself favoured above all others.

As she made her way to the hiding place of her new so-called master, the tingling intensified to a burning sensation, then to an indefinable yet very real agony. It took all her concentration not to keel over and cry out in pain. She managed to drag herself to the inner chamber.

There she saw three others, two she presumed had either been in such great pain that they had passed out or that they were dead, the other was on their knees and sobbing lightly whilst gripping their for-arm.

Andromalius entered the circular room via one of the many closed doors.

"Oh do suck it up Narcissa." He sneered. The woman replied with a whispered 'yes master' before she stood as best she could doing a quick bow and looking Bella in the eyes. To say the female LeStrange was shocked would have been an understatement, she was hiding it well but the pleading look in Narcissa's eyes sparked what little human emotion the insane woman had left. She smiled slightly at the other, trying to comfort her without words, before she bowed deeply to Andromalius.

"See, Bellatrix has the same intense pain as you do, she is superior to you with her threshold it seems." He mused the last bit to himself.

"Master, what is it you need of us?" Bellatrix asked softly.

"It is time for phase one of our plan to bring your Lord back, to commence." Without further ado he bound the two women in place and cast a silencing spell on them.

"This is necessary as the pain will be so intense that you will lose most of your control." He informed the panicking women. After this he began chanting a complex spell in a mixture of Latin and Egyptian.

He sat cross-legged in the centre of the room placing his wand in his hands, held out like he was offering it to some unknown god.

Blood began trickling from the nose and ears of both Death Eaters and a small lump formed where the Dark Mark was located, Narcissa's eyes rolled back into her skull, apparently the pain had been to intense for her mind to handle, for once Bellatrix wished her body would give out as well, but the years of torture at the hands of her captors in Azkaban and the beautiful pain her Lord had subjected her to had made her virtually unable to pass out.

The lump was travelling slowly up the woman's arm, growing as it went until it was roughly the size of Golf Ball sitting on her shoulder, the Golf Ball went as far as her neck and then the most intense pain imaginable, It was forcing it's way through the muscle and cartilage of her neck to get into her throat on a cellular level. Her neck felt as though it were being ripped off her torso millimetre by millimetre, she finally cried out. Eventually the lump got through and her neck had expanded to the point where she resembled a bullfrog. After a few moments of choking the lump, which turned out to be horrible tar-like black ooze, was coughed out and Andromalius ended the body bind so she (and Narcissa) could collapse.

He immediately healed their throats and scooped the black ooze into a blue crystal vial.

Bellatrix was the first to recover from the horrible ordeal and she looked at her arm where the Dark Mark had once proudly stood. She screamed as she realised there was no trace of the mark, not even the faint scar that had been left when her Lord was defeated.

"Not to worry Bellatrix, when he is back he will undoubtedly mark you once more and probably even reward you for your part in this." The man rolled his eyes. _That makes four, two dead servants, two living lovers and now to get the two traitors._

One of the doors opened leading to a bedroom, "I suggest you take that," he signalled to Narcissa's unconscious form, "and put her to bed, you should rest also, I have other uses for you once you have recovered." With that said, he disappeared through another door.

****

Lucius and Draco were currently heavily sedated in cordoned off beds in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts.

They had what could only be described as inflammation of the arm and a terrible fever. Poppy had opened their sleeves to see the faint scar left by the Dark Mark blacken into its former terrifying glory before, what looked like a black vine, extended from the Mark and wove its way up and around the arm, showing that the Mark on these two were a lot stronger than most other subordinates. The skin had then begun cracking and blood was pouring from razor thin wounds. This had been the point where Poppy had basically put them into Magically induced Coma's and tried her best to soothe the wounds.

After changing the bandages for the fifth time in the last two hours she felt a tug at her heart, if they kept bleeding this violently they would surely be dead before the night was out. Shaking her head as though she were shaking the negativity away she continued bandaging Lucius. No magic cast by her would heal them, as these were wounds caused by a broken bond, only the caster of the evil spell could help them.

****

Harry was currently pacing his living room trying to figure out what was going on. He had heard about Draco and Lucius and their current condition. He hated not being able to do anything, he had been ordered to stay put with Severus and that he was most certainly not, to go charging off into a mis-adventure trying to locate their mystery villain, when there was no evidence he was involved and more importantly absolutely no evidence pointing to any person, or place in particular.

His magic began to boil as he thought of the two Malfoy's dying after all they had done for the wizarding world in such a painful and frankly, pitiful way. The photo frames on the walls surrounding him began to crack and the glass shattered. The lights were dimming and the walls seemed to be caving under the pressure of Harry's uncontrolled magical force.

"Potter!" Severus snapped from his bedroom doorway. Harry didn't seem to respond, he was so deep in negative thoughts that he had forgotten the world around him. Once Severus realised this (and it only took him a millisecond to) he smirked evilly, only a shock would wake the man and thus, stop him from destroying the building. Severus walked over to the younger man whose eyes were locked on the floor he had stopped pacing now. The light bulbs in all the rooms shattered and Severus drew his arm back. He was going to relish every second of this, with one fell swoop he backhanded Harry across the face. The smaller man would have fallen over if not for Severus' steadying hand on his shoulder.

Harry's look of pure outrage took Severus back to their first Potions lesson. The indignant look of misplaced arrogance and the 'woe is me' attitude.

"Mr Potter, are you quite finished?" He drawled removing his hand from Harry's shoulder.

"Fine." Was all Harry offered before he sank into one of the sofas. He put his head in his hands and sighed. Severus almost asked what was wrong, but decided that whatever was stressing the imbecile was being worsened by his own inability to just wait for information. So he headed for the kitchen, got himself a glass of water and went back to his lab, leaving Harry in his own state of self-pity, or at least that's what he called it.

Once he arrived in what had become his sanctuary he began pondering over the days events, it had only been that morning that the idiot had come bursting through his door babbling about danger and the Dark Mark, then after that he had learnt that not only Draco's Dark Mark had come alive again but so had Lucius' so far nothing was making complete sense. It was quite clear that Potter believed the same villain was behind this.

It caused Severus to think back to the attack that had been made on his . It seemed another had definitely orchestrated it, as Bellatrix would have attacked him on sight otherwise, not gone to the trouble of disguising herself as Minerva and trying to trick him. This also confused him, it seemed as the person who had set the whole event up had counted on him not being caught, so whoever it was wanted him to live with Potter? Was that too far-fetched? If it were true then whoever it was new the movements of the Aurors, how else would Harry have been the one to come and get him?

Mulling these thoughts over he sat at his desk and began scribbling his theories down. At least it passed the time and got his mind off his oldest friend and his Godson… and whether they would last the night.

A/N that's it for now! Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think ^_^


	7. Living With You Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Disclaimer: NOT MINE! Harry Potter is not mine, the characters established in the Harry Potter series, not mine, the OC's you will definitely see are mine x)

Warning: WILL BE SLASH! SS/HP don't like then proceed no further!

A/N Another massive thanks to those following/ reviewing my fic =)

****

Harry was sitting alone, in silence, in his living room, he wanted desperately to go to Hogwarts and see the Malfoy's, but he knew his duty was to stay here with Severus, he was no longer a student he was an Auror and unfortunately that meant that some duties came first.

He lifted a hand to his sore cheek, _not that I want to protect the stupid git_ he sneered inwardly, wincing as his finger pressed to far into the bruise that was forming there.

Meanwhile Severus was still scribbling away frantically, so far the conclusions he had come up with were that either:

A. somebody wanted him to live with Potter, thus meaning the Ministry had a leak (possibly several), also, seeing as the Dark Mark had begun making it's presence known meant only one possibility, there was still a way for the Dark Lord to come back, this thought made him shiver uncontrollably (it was also the first idea he had drawn up, which, for Severus, meant that it was the most likely outcome),

B. this mystery villain that the Aurors had been trying to apprehend was little more than a rogue Death Eater, somebody rather easily dealt with, but that begged the question, who out of the inner circle, was intelligent enough to evade the ministry so effectively? Not to mention unlocking the bond that meant only You-Know-Who could activate the mark. Other than himself and Lucius Malfoy, probably nobody that was still alive.

These were the two conclusions he liked the least, a. was too terrifying (though he would never show it) to even consider and b. seemed too much like a fools hoping against the inevitable.

With a shuddering breath he stood from his desk, he knew that he may be wrong, but if he were right, and there was a way for _him_ to return then he should share his thoughts with the appropriate people straight away, the first being Harry bloody Potter.

"Potter." He sneered walking into the living room (finding the idiot right where he left him).

Harry's head shot up and he glared at the older man.

"What do you want?" He asked sullenly.

"I have been going through the recent events that we have both experienced regarding this mystery man and the Dark Marks. I have come to a conclusion, a shaky one that I pray is wrong, but a conclusion non-the-less." Harry stopped glaring and nodded at the man, signalling him to continue, Severus suppressed a snort and continued,

"The first thing that draws my attention is the Dark Mark, it is a bond held between _him_ and his _servants,_" he spat the last word with venom and sighed when he got a blank look from Potter, "a bond, Mr. Potter, is severed when the castor is dead, thus the mark should have disappeared completely when he was defeated," he missed out the 'by you', not wanting to inflate the twits ego any further, "when he died we all felt the presence of the mark fade, also it disappeared not even leaving a scar, so how is it that it is still in place in the Malfoy's?" A look of dawning comprehension landed on Harry's face…

"He, h-he can come… back?" He all but choked out the sentence. A curt nod from Severus was the only reply he got, if Potter could come to the same conclusion then there must be some possibility. Harry marched over to the fire and called for the Aurors office.

Auror Creevey was currently at his desk going through the files of the recent Dementor migration from the north when the head of the source of his teenage obsession appeared in the fire-calling station. After picking his files up off the floor he managed to ask Harry what the problem was.

"I need to call an Auror meeting, now, whoever isn't engaged with another matter should come to the office immediately." Colin nodded.

"It will take about an hour, call through then." He affirmed. Harry's head disappeared from the fire.

"Why not just use those odd gadgets to contact the people directly?" Severus couldn't help but ask.

"Well I've been pretty much incommunicado since we got here, I don't know who's out on missions and who isn't so If I do a broadcast to all the gadgets then I could give several people away and maybe get them killed, I thought you would have guessed that." Harry smirked at the irritated look on Snapes face _payback for that slap _he laughed inwardly.

"Well seeing as I am of no more use," Snape began, "I shall retire to my office."

"Wait," Harry asked, "you said that the Dark Mark was the first thing that grabbed you attention, was there anything else I should know?" He questioned.

"Yes there was one more thing that I had to say, you may have a leak at the ministry, I believe that this mystery villain of your did indeed orchestrate the attack on myself, therefore whoever it was counted on me not being caught, otherwise Bellatrix would not have stalled by trying to trick me, the only reason I can think of for this is that this person counted on my being 'saved' by you"

Harry frowned "Why? What would that accomplish?" Severus merely shrugged and went back to his rooms.

***

Lucius could not remember the last time he was in so much pain.

It was as though he was suffering the cruciatus a thousand times over, every minute of his torture was stretched as though it were an age… but the hardest thing for the former aristocrat, he had to watch his one and only child suffer the same agony all because of his failing.

The magical induced coma had not lasted for very long, it seemed that Voldemort had planned for this torture should he be destroyed (this though seemed alien to Lucius as the idea of Voldemort even insinuating his own downfall seemed ludicrous) and he would not want his servants to miss any of the delicious pain.

"Draco…d'you nee… anythin…" He managed to squeeze the barely formed sentence out through his teeth without screaming. He mentally berated himself for the poor use of the English language but his son's needs were more pressing than correct enunciation.

"Yeah… how 'bout… Sevrus's knock out…potion ARGH" Draco writhed as a new and stronger wave of pain rocked through him. He managed a lopsided grin at his son's apparent try at the good old Malfoy wit.

***

A/N Well here it is the latest chapter! Sorry about the wait and the shortness of this, my life's been a little up and down recently but hopefully I'll be able to get this fic back on track ^_^


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